Killer Instincts
by TheWalkingSilence
Summary: First come the dreams, then the premonitions, and then the visits. Sam Manson has always been a strong girl. And she's always been in love with her very best friend. Finally, she thinks she's got the perfect way to tell him. It's just a matter of time. That is, until it starts. Amity Park is thrust into a war beyond words and this time, the hero may bust be Sam Manson. DxS No PP.
1. Prologue

_**Well, a new day and a new story. I've had dreams of writing in this fandom for years. I've seen some great stories and some not so great ones. I have been putting this story off for some time, believing that no one would read it or was even still interested in Danny Phantom. Recently, I've noticed that this fandom has gotten a surge of popularity, so I decided to gather my courage and post. I only hope that I can live up to the true fans' expectations. :) **_

_**The idea for this story came from a mix of people. Most notably, I want to recognize Tori Stone and MyAibou. Your stories had inspired me to take a leap of faith and post this one. So, thank you.**_

**Killer Instincts**

**Prologue: In Due Time**

"_Sam!" _

First there was her name. She heard it in the back of her mind, although the noise was muddled—as if it had traveled through a thick veil of water to reach her. And for all she knew, it could have.

Samantha Manson had lost sensation in her body long ago. First it had been her fingers. Then her toes. And then the numbness had crept up through her veins; slowly weaving its way through her tendons and muscles until all that was left was a hollow, empty throbbing all throughout her. Her eyes were focused and centered, a single speck in the sky her only focus. The spot swayed and swished above her, taunting, toying. It was laughing. Although she couldn't hear it, instinctively she knew what it was doing…and what it wanted.

All around her, Amity was a mass of noise and movement. What had once been Amity Park was something scarred and twisted. The ground was torn up and littered with rubble. Trees that had once stood tall and proud were not bent to the ground, branches cracked and torn in what had been a frenzied yet cooperative effort by the townspeople to get away. The river trickled softly behind her, seemingly the only thing left untouched in a place that had been utterly destroyed.

"_Sam!"_

There it was again; that voice. Her name. Part of her knew who it was yelling out to her while the other half of her body worked simultaneously with the other to force out the sound, the intrusion, having deemed that it was unimportant and would simply impede her task.

Her heart hammered loudly in her ears. Her palms became suddenly slick with sweat and the smell of copper—no, blood—filled her senses. Her eyes burned with the urgent need to look around her and take in the image of the person who was calling for her. But she didn't move them. She stood still as stone. She twisted her fingers into the flimsy material of her skirt in an effort to stop them from shaking. She wouldn't show fear—couldn't show fear. Fear was what it wanted. And Sam would never give it that.

She wondered then why, out of all the girls in the world, the United States, Amity Park, she had been chosen. It was like some sick and twisted screenplay, the gods of Heaven holding the pen. She wondered why she—SHE—had to make the choice. She wondered why she had been placed in such a cruel position. And then…then she wondered why she had ever considered doing anything but what she was about to do.

Sam was not perfect. She was not pretty or girly or overtly talented. She didn't have flocks of men calling for her, following her, worshiping her like she was the goddess of the Earth. No, what she had was black. She had Goth. She had spider webs and dark poetry readings and black nail polish that was always chipped. She had two best friends and parents who didn't love who she had become but found a place in their hearts to still care about who she used to be.

And maybe, she pondered, that was why she always knew what choice she was going to make.

"_Sam!"_

Oh. Danny.

It all hit her in a slam of clarity that was so bright and real that she nearly burst into tears. It was Danny that was calling her. Danny, her best friend. Danny, her everything. She had almost forgotten. For an instant, she might actually have.

He was yelling for her. Maybe even running for her; trying to help her. But that didn't matter. Because he couldn't and even if he could, she wouldn't let him. She was sure that he knew that, somewhere deep down. He knew that she would do what was best, even if it meant losing herself in the process.

Eyes blurred with tears that she finally gave herself permission to let fall. They were wet and hot as they slipped down her cheeks. Her bottom lip trembled in anguish and fear. Anguish over the fact that there was so much still left unsaid. And fear because of the fact that it might remain that way. She wanted to reach up a hand and wipe them away but knew that movement was useless. She already hurt so much. She wouldn't add to it. Besides, she deserved these tears. She deserved them probably more than Danny did.

One foot in front of the other, Sam, she thought. One foot in front of the other. It was something that her Grandmother told her as a little girl. One foot in front of the other. If she kept doing that, then she would be fine. One foot in front of the other.

One foot—

Then there was a blinding flash of light. A bright, brilliant hue of nothing but the purest form of energy that swept over the park, over Amity, over her.

There was searing pain and then instant peace. And Samantha Manson knew that she had made the right decision.

_**There we go. Very short, but just a prologue. I have very big plans for this story, if I can get some interest. I hope that I can because I feel that you all will really enjoy what I come up with. **_

_**If I can get enough reviews, I'll post the first official chapter tomorrow. And it will be much longer. And better. So, please review if you would like to see more. :)**_

_**I don't own Danny Phantom.**_


	2. Beginning

_**Hello! I have to say, I was happy with the amount of reviews that I received. It was certainly more than I expected. I'm glad that you guys like the story so far. I know that the prologue was a little bit confusing. It was supposed to be. So in that aspect, I'm glad that you guys are confused. I hope you like this chapter as much as you liked the prologue!**_

_**PLEASE READ THIS NEXT PART CAREFULLY!**_

_**This story is going to be broken up into arcs. Three to be precise. Each will probably be about twenty to thirty chapters. Prepare for this to be a long story. If you don't like stories with 100,000+ words, this probably isn't for you. I haven't decided whether or not to break each arc into a separate story or keep them all as one. It's whatever the readers decide. I'll ask a little bit later down the road. Thanks!**_

**Killer Instincts**

**Chapter One: Beginnings **

_Three Months Earlier…._

"I don't see what this trip has to do with anything," Samantha Manson lamented. She tightened and loosened her grip around a cup of iced green tea, purple painted lips turned down into a confused frown.

The Nasty Burger was pretty crowded that day. All around her, students came and went, talking and laughing, ordering and waiting. It was just two weeks left until summer officially ended and another school year would begin. Everyone had decided that the last two weeks needed to be spent doing as much as possible. And since the Nasty Burger was the main hang out place for every person under the age of twenty, it was no surprise to anyone that the line was out the door.

Pots and pans clashed and clanged back in the kitchen, the workers so busy trying to fry up the next order that they hardly seemed fazed by the amount of noise that they were producing. Neither did the students. Most of them were talking too loudly to care, anyway. Some were on cell phones, others speaking to the person in front of them. Weaved through the general mindless chatter of the teenage customers, workers could be heard barking orders to one another.

While the noise and total amount of people was slightly annoying to Sam, it was also currently the only place in Amity Park with air conditioning; which could also go a long way to explain the crowd. About three days ago, the unexpected heat wave that crashed into the city became too much for their air conditions. And since pretty much the same company supplied everyone in Amity, it meant that everyone lost the cold air. The only place in the whole town left with any was the Nasty Burger, and that was simply because they ran a backup generator to supply their freezers in case of a power outage.

But with all the people around, it didn't even feel conditioned.

Danny Fenton wiped a bead of sweat from his cheek and then looked down at the wetness on his fingers. He sighed at the sheer weight of the current temperature and dropped his head into his hands. "Don't gripe to me," he told the Goth girl sitting across from him. His voice was muffled slightly by the table and his arms. "It wasn't my idea. Blame Jazz."

"Why your sister?" Tucker Foley asked. His mind conjured up an image of the other Fenton; a tall, red-haired female with the right amount of looks to make her desirable but too much intelligence to pull it off. "How is any of this her fault?"

"She's the one who told Mom that I needed to get out of the house," Danny grumbled without lifting his head from his arms. He kicked his foot beneath the table, slamming his toe into the table stand. He winced. "The air being out just added more fuel to the fire. She's convinced it's a sign that she's right." He shook his head.

Sam tipped her head back. Twisting the straw around her glass of tea, she regarded Danny with curious eyes. "I don't know." She shrugged. "Maybe it'll be good for you. I just don't see how it involves us."

When Danny spoke next, he had taken on a high pitched voice that Sam assumed was supposed to be his mother. "'Bring your friends along. I'm sure they'll love the convention. It'll be good for all of you to get out of the house.'" He raised his head and focused on Sam. "It wouldn't be so bad if the stupid thing wasn't in freaking Alaska! There's nothing to do in Alaska!"

"At least it's cold," Tucker supplied helpfully. He cringed under to the twin glares sent his way. "All I'm saying is that it won't be so bad. I'm looking forward to it." He grabbed at a french fry from his plate and stuck it in his mouth. He chewed thoughtfully before he spoke next. "It'll be cool to see how the other half lives." He fished out his PDA from his pocket and dropped the device to the table. "I've already done a bunch of research. Apparently, the hotel we're staying at—"

Sam cut him off. "I'm just surprised that my parents agreed to it. I mean, a ghost convention?" She shuddered slightly. "You'd think they would be a little more…against it."

Tucker waved off her concern with a flick of his wrist, his face only twisted in slight irritation. He twisted around his PDA so that his friends could see the image on the screen. It was of a large hotel with sprawling lawns and a huge, mansion like building with turrets and huge glass windows. The front lawn was covered in a spatter of snow and the archway leading up to the entrance was surrounded by two huge ice sculptures carved into singing angels.

"The place we're staying at, the Elmerton Suites and Lodge is awesome!" Tucker said excitedly. "Apparently it's the best in the area."

Danny leaned forward to get a better took at the image and let out a low whistle. He was hesitant to admit it, but it did look like a pretty cool place to stay. Using the pad of his finger, he swiped the image. Another replaced it; this one of a room that looked to be about the size of his kitchen. The floor was a deep gold carpet and the walls and blood red hue. There were two large beds set up in one corner, a miniature kitchen in the other. Another flick of his finger showed a bathroom. It was all a brilliant white. Pretty sink, marble flooring, and a large Jacuzzi like bathtub.

"It's like living in the lap of luxury," Tucker said dreamily. He pulled the PDA away and stuffed it back into the pocket of his cargo shorts. "I can't wait. How did your parents afford this?"

"Mom is one of their keynote speakers," Danny said with a little shrug. He hadn't seen any of the pictures of the hotel rooms before, or the hotel for that matter, and was now feeling just a little bit better about staying there. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all. It was just that he was worried about being gone for such a long length of time.

Ten days was a lot of time in Amity Park. As a ghost hot spot, any number of things could happen in one day, let alone ten. Danny was just worried that if he left the town unprotected, he'd come back to find that the whole place had been taken over by ghosts. It was a nerve wracking concept when he was the main source of protection for a whole town. That was mostly the reason he never accompanied his parents on any of their ghost hunting trips. He suddenly felt the weight of that responsibility settle like a rock in his gut.

"It doesn't look that bad," Sam said with an air of impassiveness.

Tucker snorted a little bit. He pointed an accusing fry at Sam. "Well, Miss Money, we can't all live in huge mansions on the rich side of town, can we?" Although his voice was icy, the twinkle in his eyes gave away the fact that he was joking.

"Oh, give over, Tucker," Sam mumbled. "You know that's not what I meant. I'm just saying that it doesn't look like a bad place to stay." She made a face of disgust and knocked the fry out of her friend's hand. "And get that greasy thing away from me."

Tucker attempted to egg her on by leaning over the booth and shoving the fried potato closer to her face. Sam wrinkled her nose at the fry and shot daggers at Tucker. "Don't even think—"

But it was too late. Tucker had already stuffed the French fry in her mouth. He fell back against his seat, howling with laughter. Sam spat the food out into a napkin and wadded it up. Eyes flared with indignation, she tossed the balled up napkin at Tucker. It hit his cheek and he squealed like a little girl. Sam chuckled slightly.

"Guys!" Danny snapped. He gave them both a look of exasperation. "Come on. Really?"

"She started it," Tucker pointed out. Fingers tugged the napkin from his face and he tossed it down on his now empty tray. "Gross," he said lowly.

"Anyways!" The half-ghost teenage boy said a little bit louder than he needed to. A few heads turned to look his way, but the Nasty Burger was so loud that mostly people hadn't even heard. Or, if they had, didn't care enough to turn around. "I'm just a little nervous about being gone for so long."

Tucker looked at him funny but Sam, knowing him better than anyone, understood. She reached across the table and placed her hand over his. She didn't say anything, just smiled, but Danny got the message. He smiled at her as well and Sam pulled away quickly, aware of the fast rising blush on her cheeks.

Her heart played a rhythm in her chest, the way it always did when she got super close to Danny. Her throat very dry, she was suddenly glad she hadn't said anything. While Samantha Manson was a strong and independent girl, there was something about Danny Fenton's smile that always had her stomach twisting up in knots.

"Maybe it won't be so bad," Danny said slowly, almost grudgingly, looking anywhere but Sam.

* * *

The house was dark when Sam got home later that night. Heat permeated her skin and the scent of old, musty books filled her nose. She coughed slightly before shrugging it off. She closed the door softly behind her, twisting the lock into place. The click as it slid home reverberated throughout the large and spacious hallway. She let out a small sigh. It appeared that the air was still broken.

"Sammy?"

A soft and feminine voice from across the hall caused a pause in the Gothic girl's steps. She blinked as light filled the hallways and turned. Her mother stood at the foot of the stairs, dressed in a loose fitting shirt and flannel pants. All of her make-up had been removed and her short red hair was pulling into a small pony-tail at the nape of her neck.

Pamela Manson was a woman of many faces. Most were for show, a common occurrence, something that everyone—no matter who they happened to be—saw. And then there were a few that only family saw. This was one of those. Bleary eyes and removed off all pep and vigor, a tired Pamela was not someone to be taken seriously.

Sam had learned long ago that her parents had layers. The older she got, the more she peeled back. And the more she peeled back, the more she saw and realized. It was scary to come to the conclusion that your parents were just people, too.

"Yeah, Mom," Sam said quietly, "It's me."

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" The woman asked her daughter. She rubbed blindly at her eyes for a moment and glanced at the large grandfather clock settled against the far end of the hallway.

Sam followed her mother's eyes and inwardly groaned. Large block hands read out that it was just after eleven. Her curfew had been at ten-thirty. She opened her mouth, ready to come up with some sort of story for her mother because the truth—Skulker had decided that it was a good night for a ghost attack—just wouldn't do.

But Pamela seemed too tired or just not in the mood to care about why Sam was so late. Thirty minutes wasn't as bad as she had been late in the past. Three, maybe four hours would have been more like it. And it was summer, so it wasn't as if she was expected to wake up early for school in the morning.

"Don't forget to pack in the morning," she reminded her daughter. "Good night, dear," she added as almost an afterthought and began back up the stairs.

Sam watched her mother's retreating form for a moment before she too headed up the stairs.

_**And…done! I'm always a little nervous about first chapters. It's like, if the first chapter isn't any good, most people won't stick around to give the second one a chance. So I really hoped you liked it. I tried to capture the character's personalities as best I could. **_

_**Thank you all so much for the reviews on last chapter. I would really like the get THREE MORE REVIEWS before I post the next chapter. If not, that's fine. I just want to see what you all thought. **_

_**Stay in touch!**_


	3. Preparations

_**So I asked for three reviews and I got five. I'm very happy about this. I'm so glad that all of you like the story so far. I have a lot more planned. It will get off to a bit of a slow start; I'm not going to lie. But the wait will be worth it, I promise. I'm always super excited to be sharing this with you all! Please continue to read and review. The more reviews I get, the faster I write!**_

_**On a side note, I'm sorry it took my so long to update. My computer broke and I had to get that fixed. Then there were some personal issues that came up that I had to take care of. But things are back to normal now, so we should have weekly updates. Thank you guys so much for being patient and I hope you like this chapter!**_

* * *

**Chapter Two:**

**Preparations**

Four suitcases, two bags, and one carry-on luggage case.

Sam had never packed so much in her life. As she stood in the doorway and surveyed her surprisingly empty room, she couldn't help the bubble of giddy excitement that twisted in her belly. A quick glance to the calendar hanging on her wall let her know that in two short days, she and her two best friends in the whole entire world would be jetting off the Alaska. Alaska. It was one of the very few places Sam had never been and she would by lying to everyone if she said that she wasn't super excited.

On the outside, she acted blasé. "Who cares?" She had said. "It's just Alaska," she had lamented to Danny when he'd pleaded for her to go with him.

But it wasn't just Alaska! It was, like, the greatest state ever. Sam didn't know very much about it, but she had done her research. As soon as the reality of the situation had set in about three days ago, she'd hopped on the internet and done as much research as possible. While it appeared like a generally boring place to be, she was fascinated with how remote it was; how, for a whole month, it was completely dark outside; how it snowed for most of the year and the temperature was below freezing half the time.

Sam had always loved the cold, and she thrived in the darkness. Remote was just fine with her because that meant less people to nag at her. And if that wasn't enough, it was a whole ten days without her parents. Sure, Danny's would be there, but they would be so busy at the conference, it would be like they weren't even on the trip with them. And then there would be Jazz, but she wasn't hard to persuade to let Sam and Danny and Tucker out for a few hours. At least, that was what Sam was counting on.

Danny had called her earlier, asked her if she wanted to go out and grab some dinner, but she had told him no and that she was busy with homework. She was a little bit embarrassed to tell him that she had been packing. And now, two days before they were supposed to leave, half of her closet was emptied and all of her make-up and toiletries were packed and she realized that she would have to get those out because she still had two days that she had to get cleaned up for.

A quick survey of the bags and Sam decided that she would mess with it later. It wasn't worth it right then.

She padded over to her bed and slumped down on the edge of it, grabbing a small stack of papers that had been resting on the pillow. It was all the information that she had compiled on where they would be staying and all the different things that they could do there. The first page was a printed brochure from Elmerton Suites and Lodge. It was a photo of the front of the hotel, highlighting the fountain in the foreground with beaming lights of different colors. Curvy letters at the top of the page informed her that she was looking at the Grande Suites, which was the main building. Behind that, she could make out the shape of another building. She supposed that was a part of the convention center where the conference would be held.

The next page was also something that she had taken from the hotel's website. It was a list of different activities that guests could enjoy. The lodge came equipped with a full service ski ramp and center, an outdoor arena for shows, in indoor gym, pool, and theatre that presented a different play every night of the week. The third page of the packet was all about the breakfast buffet and dinner specials. Apparently, there was a dining room large enough for two thousand people, a complete kitchen with world-famous chefs, and a nice lounge area that was less dressy and more casual for when guests just wanted to chill out.

The more she read, the more excited Sam seemed to get. She skimmed over the information until she felt like she was about to burst with knowledge about the hotel. She felt a little bit like Tucker, who never did anything without running an extensive online check. It was embarrassing but she kind of understood why he did it. It was nice to get yourself psyched up for things.

The dark, gloomy Michael Myers theme song burst through Sam's energetic lethargy, echoing around the room and bouncing eerily off the walls. She dropped the packet of papers beside her and bent over to grab her phone from the table next to the bed. The display picture was one of her favorites. She and Danny had just spent a long day at the pool last summer. On the car ride back home, he'd fallen asleep in the back seat and, unable to resist, Sam had snapped a photo.

His sleeping face made her smile and she answered on the second ring. "Hey," she said, fighting down her sudden feeling of cheerfulness—one that she knew had nothing to do with the prospect of the trip but instead the person on the other end of the phone.

"Sam!" Danny said, and his voice sounded distressed. "I need help!"

Instantly, Sam was on alert. She sat up quickly, tossing herself from the bed. "What is it?" She asked as she made her way over to her dresser. She began to dig out clothes and lay them on the bed. Of all the times for an emergency. "Is it Skulker again?"

There was a slight pause. Then, "No!" He cried. "Worse." Sam could picture him running his free hand through his hair, something he always did when he was overly stressed. "It's this stupid trip. I can't figure out what to pack."

Sam deflated, the jacket in her hands slipping and falling to the floor. She scowled. "Danny! You can't just scare me like that! I thought you were—"

"I mean," Danny cut her off. There was a shuffling sound, like he was pacing across the bedroom. "How am I supposed to know if it'll be hot or cold? Should I just bring clothes for either or? But then I think that would take up way too much space. And, also, what should I put on my carry on? How much is too much? It's been forever since I've been on a plane that didn't belong to my parents. I'm not used to these security procedures!"

Sam was silent as he fretted. After thirteen years of friendship, she was used to his mini-freak outs. He would go on and on for a few minutes—until all of the energy left him—and he would deflate and give her a chance to talk, to make it all better. It had taken her a strange amount of time, she realized now, to understand just how much Danny managed to rely on her. As kids, it had been different. She had always relied on him. Not so much because she wanted to, but because he wouldn't take no for an answer.

She remembered once, in the third grade. It had been recess, her favorite time of day. Even as a child, she had found school monotonous and boring, something that was beneath her. But she also understood that it was something that was important for her future, so she needed to do the best that she could. She was huddled over in a little corner by herself, sitting at one of the small picnic tables and picking at her lunch. Peanut butter and jelly wasn't really her favorite, but that's what Anna, her families live in nanny, seemed to like to make for her. Danny and Tucker had snuck off to chase each other on the jungle gym. Sam had declined because she wasn't feeling well.

It had taken her a little while to notice that someone was in front of her. She only looked up at the sound of a throat clearing. Her eyes locked on to those of Gary Friday. He was tall and round with a big angry face and red cheeks. He was the biggest bully in the whole school and he had seemed to develop a special fascination with tormenting Sam. Most of the time it didn't bother her. When she had gone to her mother about it, Pamela had told her that kids who bullied had their own problems to work through and that Sam should always be sensitive to that. Which was why, when he bent down and demanded that she give him her sandwich, she simply handed it over.

Maybe his parents don't feed him like Anna does for me, she had thought.

He had snatched the sandwich from her hand and was about to take a bite when suddenly he fell forward, landing hard on his knees on the pavement. He let out a strange, gurgling screech and turned around. Sam watched, shocked, as Danny loomed over the larger kid. He looked angry, his eyes harder than Sam had ever seen them and his hands balled into tight fists at his sides.

"Leave her alone!" He had demanded, his voice cold and smooth like stone. He watched unfazed and Gary struggled to his feet. "It's not nice to take food from people. Everyone knows that." He said it with such a matter of fact face that it seemed even Gary didn't know how to take that.

The larger kid's cheeks burned an extra bright red and he lunged at Danny. Danny, who was smaller and faster, side-stepped out of his way and stuck out his tongue. Gary glared and charged him again. "I'll pound you!" Gary had threatened.

"Fine!" Had come Danny's response. "Because if you're going to pick on someone, it should be someone who can take it!"

Maybe it was then, at that moment, that Sam realized Danny would grow up to be a hero. She hadn't known how, or when, or even why, but looking back, that was when she knew. Danny didn't need ghost powers to be a hero. He had always been one.

"…And so that's why I need your help," Danny finished. His voice had lost its steam and he let out a weary sigh.

Sam snapped out of her memories, surprised that she had missed nearly all of what he had said. She struggled for words for a minute—because even though she hadn't been paying attention, she didn't want him to know that. "Danny," she settled on. "It's not that difficult. It's supposed to be warm, but not as hot as it is here. I would bring mostly pants and long sleeves but also bring a few lighter things."

"Oh," he said in that slightly clueless way that Sam couldn't help but find kind of cute. "But it's just that I don't want to bring too much stuff because then it would take longer at baggage claim."

Sam looked over at her king sized bed, covered in suitcases and bags. "I wouldn't worry about it."

"Are you sure?" He pressed.

Sam sighed. "Danny…"

"Okay!" He was quick to assure her. He took a breath and she could sense the anxiety leaving with him. "Thanks Sam. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Sam couldn't fight the smile that curled on her lips. "Probably you'd die."

"Yeah," Danny agreed and his voice had suddenly taken on a somber tone that Sam didn't understand. "Probably."

* * *

_**Okay! So, I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter. I didn't really like the beginning, but I kind of liked the end. Let me know what you all think! I hope you liked it. Again, I'm sorry this took so long. The next update will be tons faster. On another note, I feel like the DannyxSam moment at the end was very important. I can't say why. But just know that it was. **_

_**I would like THREE REVIEWS telling me what you thought.**_

_**Love you all!**_


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